Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Republican voters say Alaska Governor Sarah Palin helped John McCains bid for the presidency, even as news reports surface that some McCain staffers think she was a liability.

Only 20% of GOP voters say Palin hurt the partys ticket, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Six percent (6%) say she had no impact, and five percent (5%) are undecided.

Ninety-one percent (91%) of Republicans have a favorable view of Palin, including 65% who say their view is Very Favorable. Only eight percent (8%) have an unfavorable view of her, including three percent (3%) Very Unfavorable.

When asked to choose among some of the GOPs top names for their choice for the partys 2012 presidential nominee, 64% say Palin. The next closest contenders are two former governors and unsuccessful challengers for the presidential nomination this year -- Mike Huckabee of Arkansas with 12% support and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts with 11%.

The key for the 44-year-old Palin will be whether she can broaden her base of support. An Election Day survey found that 81% of Democrats and, more importantly, 57% of unaffiliated voters had an unfavorable view of her.

Palin, Alaskas first woman governor, was elected to a four-year term in 2006. She was largely unknown nationally until McCain chose her to be the partys vice presidential candidate. She quickly became a darling of the GOPs conservative base and energized the partys rank-and-file.

Speculation about her future has run high for weeks when it appeared Barack Obama was likely to beat McCain. Already this week there is talk of her possibly taking the seat of embattled Republican Senator Ted Stevens if he manages to hang on and win won reelection despite recent federal felony convictions. Stevens would have to step down if his appeal of the convictions is unsuccessful.

Palin could also run for another term as Governor in the state where she still enjoys very high approval ratings.

Among Republicans, 66% of men and 61% of women say Palin is their choice for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Sixty-six percent (66%) of GOP women have a Very Favorable view of her, as do 64% of men.

While Palins high favorables suggest she has a bright political future in the Republican Party, it is important to note that favorites four years out from a presidential election quite often do not get the nomination. Obama, for example, was just an Illinois state senator four years ago, and Hillary Clinton appeared a shoo-in for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

Republicans are closely divided over the two most important issues in the next presidential election: 31% say economic issues, 30% say national security. Fifteen percent (15%) list fiscal issues, followed by cultural issues (12%) and domestic issues (6%). Five percent (5%) are undecided. Palin is overwhelmingly the top choice for 2012 among voters in all these categories.

Over two-thirds of Republicans describe themselves as conservative in terms of foreign policy, fiscal and social issues.

Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans have a favorable view of Huckabee, including 46% Very Favorable. Sixteen percent (16%) regard him unfavorably.

It is not that few Alaskans support her. By the time, the race was over by 9 P.M EST Alaska was still voting. Many republicans just stayed home instead of venturing out in the near freezing temperature outside. The same is true for California too. We had almost a million votes less. People just stayed home once the race was over by 8 P.M EST election night

Sarah's poor performance in the Couric interview pretty much did her in. Can she overcome that and change her perception to the vast majority of American people, we'll see. At least now Sarah can be Sarah without having to carry McCain's water anymore.

Good point. In Alaska she ran a more centrist popular government. That’s why she got 90% approval rating. She has the instinct to know how to attract the moderates and independents. Let Sarah be Sarah and nobody can beat her.

I have been ruminating on this over the last couple of days and have concluded:

- John McCain knew, with GWB’s low popularity, gas prices up, and the economy going south (even before it tanked in July), that he wasn't going to win the election.

- John McCain knew that a strong campaign, even if it was ultimately a losing one, would help down ticket GOP candidates and avoid a total Democratic blowout at the congressional, state, county, and local level.

- John McCain knew he needed something to offset the ONE’s star quality because he certainly wasn't going to - especially with the MSM already in the tank with the Dems.

- John McCain knew he would need a high energy campaigner who could really get out the base and draw in at least a portion of the independent vote.

Huckabee was too conservative, and Romney had religion problems (it didn't matter to me but it does matter to a portion of the Republican party base). Besides, selecting them would be just another serving of white bread to a public craving something different.

BHO was the first truly serious African American presidential candidate. So he countered with the first Republican woman VP candidate in selecting Sarah Palin. In effect, McCain countered BHO's star power with Sarah's star power and it scared them. Badly.

It didn't matter that she wasn't really qualified to be VP because they were not going to win. Her job was to electrify the base and get conservative and independent voters to vote Republican for local, county, state, and congressional-level officials. And that was why they ran so hard right down to election day itself.

As a strategy, it didn't work perfectly. But the election wasn't a total blow out either. There was no Democratic tsunami.

And, has anyone forgotten how freaked out the Dems and the liberal press was and still are about her? At least THEY understand how dangerous a relatively young, attractive, articulate (well, once she got her campaign legs under her) conservative is to them politically.

Well done, John. Well done, Sarah.

126
posted on 11/07/2008 9:21:46 AM PST
by Captain Rhino
(The best way to calm the delusions of grandeur in the energy cartel is to stop needing their energy)

Do Republicans ever get the bulk of the single mom vote? Nope but I bet she’ll get more then most Republicans in the past/present, plus maybe she’ll still get those 15% to 20% of the PUMA’s that voted this year for us.

Having a 91% favorability rating within your own party is a good place to start from if you’re going to launch a bid for the Presidency in 2012. Many critics will say that is all she is. She will not expand beyond the base and thus not be a good candidate. I beg to differ. Once anybody knows you can count on a huge bloc of support you can then focus exclusively on developing outreach by developing programs and policies that attract others to your side. That is a big advantage to any politician. Again, I take the minority position. Thank God, for John McCain. Without him Sarah Palin would not have been possible.

Because she is vey popular with the party, but is not taken seriously outside of it.

This is too silly for words. She's the most wildly popular Republican in years and she has four years to earn credibility with independents. There is no such thing as "too damaged" when over 90% of your party loves you.

The problem isnt with Republicans. As this poll shows most GOPers like Sarah Palin and thought she helped McCain. The problem is with so called independents and moderate voters. Both those groups of voters went for Obama. Especially the self described moderates.

Worry about the base first and the moderates and independents later.

The conventional wisdom on Reagan for years before he won was that he was a conservative extremist with limited appeal who would kill the party with moderates and independents. Yet once those groups got a long look at him they saw the truth and he went on to win them in droves.

The conventional wisdom on Obama at one time was that he was too extreme to the left to win in the general. Both men began with enthusiastic base support which they cultivated into movements with wider appeal. That's the path to victory.

The base is the engine of the candidate. The bigger the base the more powerful the engine. Going after a nominee because of appeal to moderates and independents is a proven failure. It's hard to imagine a Republican nominee with more inherent appeal to moderates and independents than McCain. But that appeal never translated into the necessary grassroots enthusiasm.

Moderates don't motivate. Candidates like Palin or Jindal who are passionate and consistent advocates of the core values of the party do motivate.

142
posted on 11/07/2008 9:37:19 AM PST
by AHerald
("Be faithful to God ... do not bother about the ridicule of the foolish." - St. Pio of Pietrelcina)

A VERY GOOD RESPONSE FROM LARRY SINCLAIR TO THE O’ReillyRidickulous one.

Thursday November 6, 2208 on the “O’Reilly Factor” Fox New’s blow hard Bill O’Reilly justifies to one of his viewers, his reporting Wednesday on the rumors about Gov. Sarah Palin.

In O’Reilly’s explanation he tells his viewers that “it is not my job to suppress the news, and that to not report the rumors being lodged against Gov. Palin (which O’Reilly said is news) would be the suppressing of the news. I and Fox do not suppress the news, we report it and you decide.” O’Reilly went on to state, “we at Fox do not cherry pick stories, as that is what MSNBC/NBC does.”

So Bill, “rumors” from unnamed sources attacking Gov. Palin is news and should be reported, or you would be suppressing the news, but yet allegations made openly and publicly against Barack Obama by a named source, who you have address and phone number on, was not news and the American Public did not have a right to be informed? Sorry Bill, but your double standard and cowardice is showing more and more everyday.

Bill O’Reilly, this is from a loud mouth faggot to a loud mouth egotistical blowhard, your own words from Wednesday November 6, 2008 showed you to be no different than Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, you use rumors from unnamed sources in order to try and lure Gov. Palin onto the Factor.

Challenge Bill, the election is over, so why are you still scared to report the news, don’t you think the American People have the right to know what their President Elect has been involved in? Its not like you will be accused of being racist and trying to influence the election.

To be fair Sarah’s popualarity may wane as time moves along. But if she keeps any semblance of a national profile in the next 2 years, it will not drop very much. She will still have to earn the nomination if she wants it, but I don’t think she would want it any other way.

I just got a "THANK YOU for your support" email from McCain campaign. I clicked the unsubscribe link and chose the I no longer support Sen McCain. Then I typed them a nice little message as to why I voted for him (because of Sarah, not him since she is a true conservative) and then told them I felt it was disgusting how he hasn't come out and defended her against the garbage of his staffers. Made me feel better--a little

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